Secrets Revealed
by Daisy Wilson
Summary: How the rest of the family learn of Edith's secret- SPOLIERS! Season 5
1. Chapter 1

Secrets' Revealed

A/N: I own nothing. I have shelved my other story as the show's plot made it feel redundant. This will be a two to three part story which will deal with the missing sitting room scene and Robert finding out the true identity of one Ms. Marigold Crawley.

Margie Drewe had put on her best dress and hat and walked from Yew Tree Farm to the Abbey while her children were in school and her husband was in the fields. She couldn't stand it anymore. Her husband had lied to her for almost two years. For 17 months they had cared for little Marigold; fed her, bathed her, cared for her when she was ill. And now, she was snatched away, never to be in Margery's arms again. It was cruel. It was deceit. And the child's grandmother had the right to know all about it.

She knocked on the back door, she would never presume to use the front door of the mammoth house. She asked to speak to Her Ladyship and she waited in the servants' hall, fidgeting with her purse handles.

"Her Ladyship will see you in her sitting room. Will you please follow me," Thomas instructed.

She followed the tall man upstairs. Her whole house could fit in two of these grand rooms. She was shown in where Cora was waiting for her.

"Good afternoon Mrs. Drewe. How may I help you?" Cora asked as she motioned for her to sit down.

"Good afternoon Your Ladyship. I have some information that I felt you had a right to know," Margie.

"About what?" Cora asked curiously. While most of her husband's tenants were comfortable enough to approach him, few of their wives would directly approach Cora beyond the requirements of politeness.

"Last summer, my family and I took in a foundling, a little girl."

"Marigold," Cora nodded. " Edith seems to be quite taken with the child," she smiled.

"As well she should be taken with her; she's her mother."

"What?" Cora gasped, her hand coming to her mouth.

"I saw her birth certificate when Lady Edith came to…to take her," Mrs. Drewe replied bitterly. "She's Lady Edith's daughter."

"How did this come to be?" Cora whispered.

"My husband is a kind soul; when Lady Edith confided to him about the child, he offered to take her in a lie to me about it, saying she was the child of a dead friend with nowhere to go. We've four of our own already, so another child was no great difficulty. Four the past 17 months, I've cared for the child; I've loved her like my own and now she's been taken from us by Lady Edith," she recounted, tears in her eyes.

"I had no idea," Cora whispered. But now it finally made sense; the trip to Switzerland, Edith's interest in the small child, her perpetual sadness; all of it made sense.

"And now with her gone, I felt like I had a duty to tell Your Ladyship, so you could make sure she's well…Lady Edith has taken her you see. I'm sure Lady Rosemund would make sure she's alright but well…I love that little girl, Your Ladyship," she explained, with tears in her eyes.

"Of course you do; who wouldn't love a child. But what do you mean, Lady Rosemund? His Lordship's sister?"

"Yes, Lady Edith introduced her to Marigold."

"I see. Thank you for coming to see me, Mrs. Drewe. I will make sure that Marigold is safe and well taken care of, you can be sure of that. And I also thank you for taking such good care of her. Edith spoke of how clever and bright she is; that comes from nurture as well."

"I'll leave you then, Your Ladyship."

Cora rang for Thomas who escorted Mrs. Drewe out.

"Rosemund and Mama, what HAVE you done?"


	2. Robert

Secrets Revealed- part 2

A/N: I own nothing. Forgot this for the last chapter- SPOILERS!

Isis had been gone a week now. Robert had been absolutely heartbroken when he and Cora had woken up to find that the old yellow Labrador had passed peacefully in the night. Cora held his hand as the dog was buried under an old tree where she and Robert liked to walk.

As one inhabitant of the abbey left, another had arrived. Edith's charge, Marigold, arrived two days after the dog's death. Robert had only seen her the once since she arrived; he had taken to spending his afternoons walking the estate by himself, mostly so he could grieve for his beloved dog in private, without his darling Sybbie and George to see.

Cora had finally convinced him to stay for tea and spend some time with the children. He reluctantly agreed; he missed the children as well and can now talk about the passing of the dog without tears, should one of the children ask about her.

Nanny appears at 4 o'clock on the dot with all three children in tow. He greets Sybbie and George as usual. Edith makes a bee line for Marigold and once she's in her arms, it hits him like a tonne of bricks. Edith and Marigold. Edith and Marigold. EdithandMarigold. EdithandMarigold. The shock of it makes his knees weak and he quickly sits down.

'Why has no one told me?' he wonders. 'How could Cora not tell me?' His eyes are fixed on his middle daughter and his granddaughter. He doesn't know how, but the little girl on his daughter's lap is the image of his mother when she was a child.

Marigold squirms down and toddles over to him and looks at him with the same big eyes; not the same color as his mother's and not Edith's either, perhaps a legacy of her father. But the face, that sweet little face, is his mother in miniature.

"Hello Marigold. Would you like to sit on my knee?" he asks before picking up the little girl.

"Donk!" the little girl exclaims before wrapping her arms around Robert's neck. "Like Donk."

"Donk quite likes you too my darling," he says as he gently kisses her head.

Later that night, after dinner Robert dismissed Bates for the evening and joined Cora in their room.

"Marigold seems quite taken with you," Cora smiled as she pulled back the blankets on his side of the bed.

"She's quite like her grandmother as a child," he said as he calmly crawled into bed.

"Whatever do you mean?" Cora asked innocently.

"She was born when Edith went to Switzerland, wasn't she?" he asked.

Cora let out the breath she'd been unknowingly holding. "Yes."

"How long have you known?"

"Since the day before Isis died. Mrs. Drewe, the wife of the pig farmer came to tell me."

"How…?" Robert started.

"It's Edith's story to tell, my darling."

"Why didn't she tell us?"

"She hasn't said; I don't know."

"Would you care for a walk, my dear?"

"Can't it wait until morning?"

"No; I'd like to know why."

"Alright. Put on your slippers, it's chilly tonight."

Cora and Robert walked down the hall to Edith's room and softly knocked on the door.

"Come in," she called.

Robert and Cora walked in.

"Your father knows," Cora stated. "He guessed."

"How…?" Edith asked, tears brewing in her eyes.

"Little Marigold looks quite like your Grannie when she was a child," Robert said simply. "I don't think you've ever seen a picture of when she was small."

"I haven't. Papa, I'm ever so sorry."

"Don't ever apologize for your child. Never," he said as he sat down on the bed. "Now, I want the whole story, starting at the beginning. Her father is Michael Gregson, isn't he?"

"Yes. I was so stupid; in love but stupid. It was only once but it was so special and I loved him so much," she started to cry. "He went to Germany for me, so he could get a divorce so we could be together."

"He was married?" Robert said, closing his eyes and looking upwards. "Oh Edith."

"She's quite mad; in an asylum and everything. But he couldn't divorce her under British law so he went to Germany; their divorce laws are different. He went so we could be together and now he's dead," she cried.

Robert pulled her into his arms and held his daughter.

"My darling girl; how you've suffered." He kissed her head and gently rubbed her back.

"When I found out I was pregnant, I thought about not having her but I couldn't do that. I went to Aunt Rosemund and she made the arrangements for us to go to Switzerland and for the baby to be adopted but I couldn't do that either so I left her with a family and when I came back to England I felt so lost without her that I bought her back and she stayed with the Drewes but that was even harder so when I learned that Michael was dead I knew I needed her to be with me," Edith rambled. "And now…"

"And now she's back with her family, where she belongs," Robert affirmed.

"You won't send her away, will you Papa?" Edith pleaded.

"First off, she isn't my child and you are of age. Secondly, your mother and I lost a child once; I could never condemn you to that. Marigold will have a home at Downton until she marries and that's final."

"Thank you Papa!"


	3. Tom

Secrets Revealed

A/N: I own nothing! Spoilers for season 5

Tom

It all started innocently enough. He had taken Sybbie to Mass in Ripon two weeks ago. There had been tea and a social hour after and he had chatted with some other adults and she had played with some children. Three days later, he heard that there were a few cases of chicken pox amongst the children of the parish.

Now, it was 2 o'clock in the morning and he and Edith were sitting in the Downton nursery with Marigold, Sybbie and George, who were all sporting an impressive array of spots. Mary had gone back to bed once George had fallen asleep but the two girls were miserable. Sybbie was dosing fitfully in her father's arms but it seemed that poor little Marigold was the worst hit. The toddler had the blisters head to foot and even in her little mouth. She had a high fever as well.

Edith was sponging the baby off, quietly singing to her as she did it.

"I'm sorry you feel so miserable my darling. You'll start to feel better soon."

"Hurts Mama," she cried weakly as she flexed her tiny hands; the spots were so swollen she could hardly move her little fingers.

"I know my angel; but you'll start to feel better in the morning," she whispered as she kissed her head.

Tom watched the scene before him from the rocking chair. There was something in Edith's demeanor; she didn't just care for the child, Tom thought. She loved her. Edith loved Marigold with the all-consuming love that a parent has for their child.

"You really do love her like she's your own, don't you?" he asked quietly.

"She isn't like mine, she is mine," Edith whispered.

"I didn't know the adoption papers had come in yet. Do you need to go before the magistrate in the Foundling's Court?"

"No Tom, there are no adoption papers or Foundling's Court," she replied, never taking her eyes off the child.

"But how…?" he started.

"She IS mine, Tom. I am her mother."

"You meam…? How? When?"

"I didn't just improve my French in Switzerland," she confessed.

"Why didn't you say anything?" he asked.

"I didn't know what to do."

"But surely, you only had two options; keep her or place her for adoption."

"I had a third…" she whispered.

"I would have married you before I let you do that. I would have married you so you could have kept her," he said with absolute certainty. "Sybil wouldn't have wanted you to lose your child."

"You're a dear, Tom. Can I trust you not to tell anyone?"

"Of course; who knows?"

"Mama, Papa, Grannie, Aunt Rosemund and the Drewes. They kept her for me when I brought her back from Switzerland."

"You have my word."


	4. Violet

A/N: Thanks for all the comments and the feedback! Spoilers for Episode 7

Violet

Violet was returning from tea with Isobel. They had been discussing her recent broken engagement with Lord Merton which was directly attributed to the ghastly behavior of Dickie's two sons.

It was a warm day with bright sunshine and a gentle wind so Violet had decided that she would walk the short distance from the Dower House to Crawley House. It was on the trip home that she saw them, Edith and the child.

They were coming out of the confectioner's shop and the little girl had a small bag in her hand which no doubt contained sweets. Edith had two more bags in her hand, presumably for George and Sybbie. Edith knelt down to button the child's coat; it was a hand me down of Sybbie's that Cora had bought the child the year before. Violet squared her shoulders and walked towards her granddaughter and great-granddaughter.

"Hello my dear," Violet said as she approached the pair. She leaned in so Edith could kiss her cheek.

"Hello Grannie. How are you today?"

"I'm very well. This must be Marigold. Hello," Violet said as she looked at the child, the little girl who had, through no fault of her own, caused so much upset.

"Can you say hello, Marigold?"

The child looked up at Violet and smiled, "Hello."

"You are the image of your great-grandmother when she was a child, my dear," Violet smiled as she spoke softly so no passerby's may hear.

"Is she? Papa said she did, but I wasn't quite sure." Edith questioned.

"Very much; she's very much like my mother," Violet nodded. "Her eyes don't quite fit though."

"She has her father's eyes. The very same, actually."

"It's so unfortunate when a little girl favours her father too much; it seems Miss Marigold has found the perfect balance."

Edith took this as the compliment which it was intended to be. "Thank you Grannie."

"Shall we walk you home, Grannie?"

"That would be lovely my dear."


	5. Downstairs

A/N: I own nothing. There is one more installment after this, the one I've been having the most difficulty with. So, until I get it sorted, here you are.

Downstairs

It was Elsie Hughes who was the first to piece together the Lady Edith's secret. Anna hadn't thought any of the photograph under Lady Edith's pillow when she found it. Elsie still had the picture in her possession; she hadn't found the moment to give it back to her.

The first time she saw little Marigold she recognized her as being the baby in the picture. She thought it a bit strange that Lady Edith both had a picture of the child when she was so small and was further perplexed as to why she felt she needed to hide it.

Little by little, Elsie started to notice the similarities between Lady Edith and Marigold, little things that only someone who really knew Lady Edith would notice. When Mrs. Patmore was asked to prepare a birthday cake for the child's 2nd birthday, it finally came together. She decided to give Lady Edith back the photograph and see if her suspicions were confirmed. She tucked the picture in her pocket as she was dressing, determined to see it back safely to its owner.

It was mid-afternoon when Mrs. Hughes finally found Lady Edith alone in the upstairs gallery.

"Milady, I have something of yours that I've been meaning to return to you."

"What is it?" Edith asked, a bit confused.

"I found this when we were cleaning your room after the fire, Milady. I tucked it in my pocket and forgot about it. I am sorry." The older woman reached into her pocket and produced the photograph.

"Oh thank you Mrs. Hughes; I thought it was lost." Tears started to form in Edith's eyes as she took the photograph. She traced the little girl's face with her finger. "I had it taken…"

Edith froze when she realized what she had said.

"Little Marigold is quite like her mother when she was a small girl," Elsie said softly. "All children are a blessing, regardless of how they come to be. No one should ever be made to feel like their child was a mistake or anything less than a gift from the Almightly."

"Thank you Mrs. Hughes. Her mother wants her, desperately."

"Then I'm glad she's back where she belongs. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to check on the progress of the attic clean out, Milady."

"Thank you again Mrs. Hughes."

Later that day, Mrs. Hughes found Mr. Carson in his pantry, grumbling.

"I have no idea why so much fuss is being made over the birthday of a foundling. Twenty people for tea!"

"How can you begrudge a child of this house a birthday party, Mr. Carson? Would you say that of Master George's or Miss Sybbie's birthdays?" the Scottish housekeeper demanded.

"Of course not, but they are children of this house," he sighed, exasperated.

"And so is Miss Marigold," Mrs. Hughes stated firmly.

Carson cocked his head and looked at his co-worker.

"Would you please step into my pantry, Mrs. Hughes?"

Thirty minutes later, Mr. Carson was determined that Miss Marigold Crawley had the nicest second birthday any little girl could ask for.


	6. Mary

A/N: I own nothing. Last chapter and by far the hardest to write. Hopefully it's true to character. I also haven't seen tonight's episode yet so fingers crossed, Julian Fellowes didn't jack my ideas.

Mary

Edith had endured Mary's comments when Marigold came to live at the Abbey. She ignored the jabs about the child's birthday. However, the constant snarky remarks about the volume of gifts Edith had purchased for Marigold's first Christmas at the Abbey were when Edith started to lose her composure.

Robert, Cora and Tom all tried to defuse the situation if they happened to be in the vicinity but after 30 odd years of bickering, it was almost second nature to Mary to pick at her sister.

"Why do you begrudge a child a nice Christmas?" Edith demanded from the floor where she was arranging Marigold's gifts.

"The way you fuss over her, you'd think she was your child," Mary snarked.

"She is my child, Mary. She's as much my child as George is yours," she yelled.

"What?"

"Marigold is my child. I carried her in my body for 9 months, went through 13 hours of labour, weaned her myself and cared for her every hour of the day for the first three months of her life which is more than you did for George."

"What?" Mary asked, genuinely shocked.

"I took a man to my bed, a man I loved and I had his child. Now all I ask is that you not make your inevitable disparaging comments in front of Marigold." Edith stormed out of the library, leaving Mary absolutely gobsmacked.

When Mary collected her thoughts, she went to her mother's room, although, after 35 years of sharing a bed, it could rightly be called her parents' room.

"Mama, may I speak to you?" Mary called from outside the door. She learned the hard way several years ago the dangers of entering her mother's room without announcing herself.

"Come in dear," Cora called.

Mary found her parents sitting in bed, each with a book in their hands.

"Everything ready for the morning?" Robert asked.

"Yes, is Marigold Edith's natural daughter?"

Both Robert and Cora looked at each other. "Why do you ask?" Cora posed.

"Edith said Marigold was just as much her child as George is mine."

"She is," Robert replied. No use hiding it anymore.

"And Marigold's father?"

"Michael Gregson," Cora stated plainly.

"So each thing I said to her about Mr. Gregson…"

"Edith loved him; it would no different than if Edith said disparaging comments about Matthew and you having a child with him."

"But I was at least married to him," Mary defended.

"And but for a change of luck, you could have been in Edith's position after your…encounter…with Mr. Pamuk," Robert pointed out. "Marigold will not be treated any differently than Sybbie or George, is that quite understood?"

Mary was so shocked she could only nod at her father's comment. "Pleasant dreams; no doubt the children will be up at the crack of dawn."

Mary quietly closed her parents' door and leaned against the wall.

"I never knew you had it in you, Edith."

What her parents did not know was, that for not the use of a particular device, she could have been precisely Edith's position after her week with Tony Gillingham. She needed to apologize to Edith. For the first time in her life, Mary felt remorse for her actions towards her sister. Not after causing the break-up of her first courtship with Anthony Strallan, not for the comments about Major Gordon and not for all the other hurtful things she had said to her. But this, this made her feel ashamed.

Mary made her way to Edith's room and knocked. Edith was already dressed for bed when she answered the door.

"Oh, it's you. What do you want?"

"May I come in? I need to apologize."

Edith looked at her sister, quite convinced that Hell had frozen over. She moved and let Mary into her room. Edith went over and sat on her bed.

"What on earth is the Great Lady Mary Crawley apologizing for?"

"I'm sorry for the things I've said about Marigold. I've been cruel to you about your child and I'm sorry."

"I loved Michael you know. I loved him more than I have loved anyone else in this world, with the exception of Marigold."

"Of course you did. That's why we women have children to begin with, to have that little bit of the men we love. Tell me, tell me the whole story."

"Why? Why should I do that?"

"Because it could have easily been me, all those years ago after Mr. Pamuk. You have a child, I have a niece. I would like to know more about her."

"Alright then."

And so, for the first time in their lives, Mary and Edith Crawley shared revealed their secrets, just like one would expect of two sisters.


End file.
